Not a single deed given to occupants of houses built under last Govt.’s State housing projects: PM

• PM says only 9604 of proposed 65,097 housing units completed and handed over
• Not a single deed handed over to occupants so far
• Houses built on State land without proper authorisation

While only 9604 out of a proposed 65,097 housing units had been completed and handed over to the public by the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) in four-and-a-half years under the last Government, not a single deed of ownership was issued to the occupants, Parliament was told yesterday.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa made the disclosure in response to a question raised by Kandy District UPFA MP Anuradha Jayaratne during PM’s Question Time.

Rajapaksa said that the NHDA had initiated 2562 housing projects during this period, but it had completed only 367 of them.

“The NHDA had used lands belonging to the Wildlife Department, Mahaweli Development Authority, Land Reform Commission, and lands coming under plantation companies, to build these housing projects. They were obtained by getting written approval by the Divisional Secretary, and bypassing the proper procedure for acquiring State lands,” he said.

“Not a single deed has been given for any of these lands so far. The reason for this is that the housing projects had been built as a loan. The recipients have been given 10-15 years to pay off the debt in instalments, after which they are to be given deeds for the lands. So far, there is no record of anyone completing the payment in instalments,” he added.

 State Minister of Housing Indika Anuruddha said that close to a billion rupees had been used by the last Government for promotion and publicity work of the housing projects. “We have received the receipts for expenditure of Rs. 700 million and we are investigating the rest,” he said.